Exxonmobil Technology and Engineering Company

Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company

Curtis J Holub

Amr S El-Bakry

Marco De Mattia

Mahsa Memarzadeh

Neeraj R Dani

Ted Alan Long

Sumeet Trehan

Justin A Gantt

Jose F Zapata Usandivaras

Peeyush Bhargava

Damian N Burch

Richard D Garrett

Feng Xiao

Zachary H Borden

A method of detecting and mitigating flow instabilities, such as slugging, in hydrocarbon production wells. Real-time production data pertaining to each well is are retrieved. Using the production data, patterns of flow instability are identified therein. A numerical model of transient and thermal multiphase flow in each well is generated. Well test data is are retrieved from a database. The numerical model is calibrated using the well test data. Using the calibrated numerical model, a parametric study is performed to determine how input parameters affect at least one of stability and performance of the wells. Results of the parametric study are queried to determine a type of flow instability and to determine operating conditions to improve performance of the wells. An advisory is provided to a user to change operating conditions of one or more of the wells, to improve stability and/or performance of one or more of the wells.

Detecting and mitigating flow instabilities in hydrocarbon production wells

A method for producing hydrocarbons in a gas lift well is disclosed. A gas lift rate of the well is monitored while producing hydrocarbons according to an initial gas lift performance curve. One or more well performance parameters for the well are monitored. Disturbances in the well are detected while monitoring the well performance parameters. Transience in the well is modeled. A new gas lift performance curve is derived based on the detected disturbances, the modeled transience, and the initial gas lift performance curve. An optimal allocation of gas lift is determined from the new gas lift performance curve. Hydrocarbons are produced using the determined optimal allocation of gas lift.

Opportunistic techniques for production optimization of gas-lifted wells

A method of predicting hydrocarbon production from one or more artificial lift wells is disclosed. Measurements and/or well test data are obtained from one or more artificial lift wells representing well performance at more than one time period. A statistical model, representing well performance, is generated. Using the statistical model and the measurements and/or well test data, real-time production of the one or more artificial lift wells is predicted and a measure of confidence is generated. Potential optimization opportunities are identified for well performance based on the predicted real-time production of the one or more artificial lift wells. The optimization opportunities are outputted. Hydrocarbon production activities are modified using the optimization opportunities.

Method and system of producing hydrocarbons using physics-based data-driven inferred production

A method of predicting hydrocarbon production from one or more artificial lift wells is disclosed. Test data is obtained from the artificial lift well. A decline curve model, representing well performance, is generated for one or more fluids in the artificial lift well. Measurement values are obtained from an artificial lift operation. For each of the obtained measurement values, a measurement model is generated that correlates the measurement values to the decline curve. A Kalman filter is used to predict production outputs of at least one of oil, gas, and water for the well, and to generate an uncertainty range for the predicted production outputs. The Kalman filter uses the decline curves to predict the production outputs, and uses the measurement models to correct and/or update the predicted production outputs. Hydrocarbon production activities are modified using the corrected and/or updated predicted production outputs.

Method and system of producing hydrocarbons using data-driven inferred production

A method is provided for determining the frequency of a multi-rate well testing operation in a gas-lifted hydrocarbon well. A well performance characteristic of the well is monitored using single-rate well tests. The monitored well performance characteristic is compared to a current well model performance characteristic. If the monitored well performance characteristic differs from the current well model performance characteristic by less than a predetermined amount, an amount of gas is injected into the well based on the current well model performance characteristic. If the monitored well performance characteristic differs from the current well model performance characteristic by more than a predetermined amount, a multi-rate well test is initiated the results of the multi-rate well test are fitted to a revised well model performance characteristic, and an amount of gas is injected into the well based on the revised well model performance characteristic.

Method and system for unconventional gas lift optimization

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Spring, TX, United States of America

Curtis J Holub